1. Field of the Invention.
The invention pertains to light fixtures having a convex configuration receiving a decorative strip adhered thereto wherein retainers formed on the light fixture receive the ends of the decorative strip to maintain the strip ends in a contiguous relationship with the light fixture configuration.
2. Description of the Related
Light fixtures, particularly those used with recreational vehicles such as trailers, motor homes, boats, and the like, often consist of a base which is mounted upon the vehicle wall and a translucent or transparent lens is attached to the base wherein a bulb mounted upon the base emits light through the lens.
For aesthetic purposes, decorations may be mounted upon the lens or incorporated into the configuration thereof. A popular decorative feature is to mount an elongated decorative strip upon the lens which is of a contrasting color and pleasing configuration. Such decorative strips are often formed of vinyl and include a flat inner surface coated with an adhesive to permit the strip to adhere to the lens.
When an adhesive mounted vinyl decorative strip is extended across the exterior surface of a lens having an arcuate convex configuration the flexible nature of the strip will permit the strip to follow the contour of the lens exterior surface and permit the strip to be attached directly to the lens surface by the adhesive. However, the vinyl material of which the decorative strip is formed has an elastomeric characteristic, and memory, and internal forces within the strip try to return the strip to its original linear configuration. The bonding forces of the strip adhesive on the lens are usually sufficient to overcome the internal "memory" forces within the decorative strip if the deformation of the strip has not been extreme. However, with some types of lens configurations the greatest degree of curvature exists adjacent the lateral edges of the lens to which the decorative strip ends are attached. Accordingly, over a period of time the arcuate deformation of the decorative strip end regions required to conform the strip to the lens configuration will create sufficient internal forces within the strip vinyl material to overcome the adhesive forces at the strip end regions and permit the strip ends to pull or "peel" away from the lens exterior surface. Such disassembly of the strip end regions from the lens is unattractive and commercially unacceptable, and such occurrences may not occur until some time after the light fixture has been installed in a vehicle, and the lens and decorative strips have been exposed to the heat generated by the light fixture bulb. This tendency for decorative strips to separate from arcuate convex lenses has severely limited the use of such decorative strips with many light fixture and light fixture lens configurations, and heretofore, this type of end region separation from arcuate convex light fixture configurations has been very troublesome and unresolvable.